Tears
by NarutoAngel
Summary: He will not be the Earl's toy. That much was simple. Bleach/D. Gray-Man Crossover
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach**

**A/N: I apologize to all my readers for the long and horrible wait. Unfortunately, my computer has decided to go into early retirement and so until I get a new computer updates will be slow (even more than usual) for all of my stories. No, I haven't stopped writing or anything of the sort. In fact, I'm fill with a bunch of new ideas. Sadly, though, my computer doesn't give a shit. **

**School has started guys! So updates… yeah. You get the picture. Any way, here's a new story. It's a Bleach/D. Gray-Man crossover.**

He was so nervous, his heart pounding in furious beats, that he couldn't stop moving. Pacing back and forth within the hospital's hallways, he felt also a bursting feeling of excitement, one that would not be quench. Several nurses gave him the evil eye for his disruption, but the orange haired man didn't care, in fact ignored them as he continued to pace. Nothing, be it their stare or his father's refusal the week before, was going to ruin today.

Ichigo's wife, Senna, was having their first baby. He could scarcely believe it. After nine months of waiting, watching her belly grow, it was time for the kid to come out. Ichigo could feel himself have a case of last minute jitters.

Was he going to be a good father? Could he really take care of a kid, especially with their family situation? God, he hoped his mom was watching, from her place in heaven. He hoped that she had a front row seat, as she watched her grandson come into the world.

Or granddaughter. He didn't know yet!

It didn't matter which one was the first born. He would love that baby all the same. Mildly, he wondered if he was going to be the same father like his own, always hugging his kids until they were sick of his love.

At the thought of Isshin Kurosaki, his mind shielded from him and took its place somewhere else, back to the closed doors of the operating room. He had wanted to be in there, by his wife's side as she labored to give birth to their baby. But for some reason, Ichigo had been told to wait outside.

It was strange. He knew from his father's hospital that this was not uncommon. Sometimes the dads were worse than the laboring mothers and had to be kept outside. But Isshin often let some fathers in, to hold their wife's hand at such a memorable occasion.

Still, this hospital was much more new, fancy, and advanced than his father's simple hospital. Perhaps, things this way were much better. Ichigo could only hope so. He'd seen a lot of mothers in his life not make it.

"You could do it, Senna!" Ichigo yelled through the door, surprising many passersby. "That's it, baby. Push! You're doing great!"

The labor was long and stressful, tedious, seeming to last for days. Finally, Ichigo heard one last wail from his wife, different and longer from the rest and feel silent.

Then, a baby began to cry.

"Yes! Yes!" Ichigo cheered and pounded on the door in excitement. "You did it, Senna! You did it!"

He waited for a muffled answer, probably weak and tired from her long ordeal.

But none came.

"Senna?" he called again, putting his ear against the wood, trying to hear a sound. "Senna?"

The door opened suddenly, nearly dropping him forward. Ichigo managed to pull back at the last instant, just in time to face the doctor. Apron, white coat, all was drenched with blood, more blood than he thought came from a person still living. The man sighed and ran a bloodied hand through the thinning hairs of his scalp, his expression not the type Ichigo wanted to see.

Ever.

"Mr. Kurosaki," the doctor said softly, voice deep with regret. "I'm afraid there has been complications during the birth. Your wife began to bleed heavily and we couldn't stop it in time. I'm afraid she's dead, Mr. Kurosaki."

---

The baby had been taken away, to be cleaned of its mother's lifeblood and to be dressed and given milk. Whatever they did, they did it out of sight and away from the grieving father, sitting next to the dead boy of his wife.

Senna had been cleaned and dressed of the blood during the birth. Her eyes had been closed and her features eased from the painful mask when she died. Now, she look merely sleeping, as if any minute she open those beautiful golden eyes, smile, and ask him about their baby, if she did a good job.

That had been her greatest fear, that she would give birth wrong, and harm the child. It was a silly fear, one that Ichigo would tease her about it, telling her how it might make the baby have two heads or something. Then she would smack him and scold him for teasing.

He held her cold hand in both of his, squeezing gently as he gave her a gentle, proud smile. "You did good, baby," he told her. "You did real good."

A knock sounded on the door. "Mr. Kurosaki?" The doctor entered inside the door, closing it quietly behind him.

Ichigo barely acknowledged him, barely knew that he was there. He had eyes only for his dead wife.

"I am sorry for your loss. We had been careless with your wife's treatment and did not see the clot until it was too late. Had we, she might have lived."

Excuses, excuses, excuses. They were all crap. He let him talk, gave no indication that he was listening.

"But I can extend my services." The doctor stood close behind him, place his hands over his shoulders. "You see, I know a man, a very powerful man with the powers of God. He can bring your wife back to life."

Ichigo looked at him, staring at the doctor with sudden rapt attention.

He continued, his voice thickening and turning alluringly, almost caring. "He can. He done so many times. If you want your wife revived, I will place the call."

"_Ichigo, do you think I will be a good mother?"_

Ichigo's eyes closed in pain, as his wife's sweet voice filled his mind, remembering that moment. He had given her a smile and took her into his arms, hugging her while being mindful of her swollen belly.

"_Of course," he told her. "You're a beautiful person, Senna. Both outside and within. If we have a girl, I want her to be like you."_

"_But then, what about a boy?" she asked him insistently. "Will I be a good mother to a boy?"_

"_Senna," Ichigo told her seriously. "I think he will be just like his father on that one. He'll never leave you alone."_

He opened his eyes and felt the tears fall. it was a hoax, the logical part of his mind told him. Something to get more money. But the thought of having that cold hand warm again, to give her that chance she had desperately wanted to be a mother, proved to be much stronger.

Looking at the doctor, Ichigo said hoarsely, "Alright. Call out your sorcerer."

The doctor jumped to the air happily. "I will call him immediately then!" he gushed, hurrying towards the phone.

Ichigo sighed, feeling weary and exhausted, and turned back to his wife.

And stared.

He had held onto her hand the whole time, and when he turned, had pulled her hand as well. Now, the movement had taken her arm full out from the covers tucked around, revealing what he couldn't have seen before.

A careful cut had been made over the chest cavity, directly where the aorta would have been located. It was so slight and so easily missed to one not raised in a medical background. If asked, the doctor could explain it off as an injection site to ease the pains of birthing.

"He's on his way, Mr. Kurosaki," the man said, his voice high with happiness and excitement.

It made him sick.

Was he not human? How could-? The baby. What, then, about the baby? Was it alright? God, he hasn't seen it yet!

Senna would have killed him for this.

"My child," he asked. "Where is my child?"

"In the maternity ward. You can see her when we're done. It'll only take a few minutes. He doesn't take long to come."

What a joke. He was lying. Whatever the scam was, this man took his wife's life. She had probably been resting from that last push when he made the incision. Or perhaps when she gave that final scream, to get his attention, screaming for help.

At that thought, Ichigo lost his mind. His views faltered and became disorientated, as his eyes grew gold shining with malice and hatred. A paleness covered his face as a different visage appeared.

"He's almost here, Mr. Kurosaki. Please be patient."

"**So all this time… you think I was fussing. How stupid humans are. They don't even notice when your something else."**

"Mr. Kurosaki?" The man took a big step back as the other turned around, revealing a grinning face and crazed eyes.

"**Uh, uh, uh!" **he scolded. **"That is not my name!" **

The splattering sound was like music to his ears. The fake doctor took his sweet time falling to the ground, where sputtering and shook in disbelief as he died.

The man that was not Ichigo Kurosaki turned back to the dead woman on the bed.

"**I'm sorry. That must have fucking hurt," **he said quietly.** "Don't worry now. I promise I'll take care of us whenever stupid Ichigo cant. Both our brat and the king. I swear upon my name Hichigo. Just… rest now, Senna. I'll let them bury you, for now."**

His gold eyes grew moist and he rubbed them with his sleeves. **"Now let's go get the brat. Maternity ward, right?"** he asked no one, stepping over the body and out the door, with no look back.

---

"Stupid child! Stop crying!" the nurse scolded the babe, who was wailing. "Damn, I wish the doctor will only let me kill you!"

The babe suddenly stopped crying, and began to laugh, its tiny hands reaching forward.

"**That's no way to talk to a baby, you stupid bitch."**

"Who-" The woman coughed as blood spurted out of her, from the wound in her chest similar where they cut earlier in the woman that was the child's mother.

Hichigo caught the child away from the falling body and cradled it close. It did not mind his bloodied fingers and reached out with its small hands. He opened the blanket it was wrapped up and began to wipe at the blood that had dried.

"**Huh. Didn't bother to clean ya." **He blinked as he looked down the naked body. **"You're a girl! Damn, it would have been easier if yer were a boy. Oh well. At least, you don't have to worry for a while. Daddy and your uncle Hichigo are here to protect you. We promise, little angel."**

The wings from the child's back flapped happily at his words and Hichigo carried her out of the wretched hospital.

He didn't even look at the fat monstrosity watching him.

**A/N: Something a little different that came to me in the form of a brain fart. Hope y'all enjoyed.**


	2. Chapter 1

_Eight months later…_

"We have three freaking maps to the same damn place and we **still** manage to get lost?!" Ichigo Kurosaki growled out in his frustration, tossing the useless diagrams onto the road.

Currently, they were stranded in the middle of an empty dirt road, somewhere in China, he guessed. Yes, guessed, for those stupid maps have led him all over the continent that he wouldn't be surprised if they somehow were in the Americas.

Impossible, yes, but he really wouldn't be damned surprised.

Ichigo turned to the secured basket beside him and felt his frustration increase, the feeling of being useless nearly overwhelming him. He reached down to stroke the smooth cheek of the sleeping baby inside.

"Did you have to make it so damn difficult to find you, Dad?" Ichigo asked out loud, wishing for the man to somehow use those powers of intuition of his and send him an answer.

None came of course and he was alone with his child again, vulnerable and basically a sitting duck for thieves, bandits, and worse. He needed to find his family's stronghold and ask for his father's help.

No matter how cruel he may seem or the bad blood between him and his son, Isshin would not turn away an infant.

Ichigo has been searching for them for nearly six months. He had spent the first two weaning his daughter, despite the wet nurse that he had hired vocal protests. It didn't matter to him, for his daughter had matured far quickly than a norm human infant and could be separated from the woman's teat. It was an internal sense that he had dubbed as parental, an instinct that was simply natural.

Both his father and mother had had it, and Ichigo could remember his own sister's childhood, and how early they were weaned too. Yuzu at two months, Karin at a month and a half. It simply ran in their blood.

"I'll find Grandpa, Carus. I promise, I'll find him so that you could be safe," he told the baby quietly and watched as her fingers grabbed a single one of his. The girl instantly smiled and gurgled happily in her sleep, holding his finger tight.

Carus. He had named his child Carus, which was Latin for Beloved. As he predicted, she was the splitting image of her mother, Senna. Soft purple hair and the same creamy skin. Only difference was that she had his eyes. Chocolate brown, but where his were shadowed, Carus's continued to shine brightly with life.

If it weren't for her smile, Ichigo honestly didn't know how he would have lasted all these months. When Senna died, a hole had literally been torn in him, one that pained him whenever he closed his eyes and saw his dead wife's face. But with Carus's existence, that hole grew almost bearable and Ichigo came to not mind living a little longer. In fact, he lived for his daughter, so she wouldn't be alone.

Carus wouldn't be able to survive in this world, not when she had his blood. His curse.

With his other hand, Ichigo tugged the blanket over the piece of flight feathers that could be seen, hiding them from view. Right now, it didn't matter as much since they were alone, but one couldn't be too careful.

Any moment could bring company and Ichigo already knew that humans were not kind to monsters. They didn't like anything more monstrous than themselves.

Sighing, the orange haired man pulled his hand away and got out of the carriage to pick up the fallen masks. He found two and the third was in Zangetsu's mouth, the black work horse that pulled the vehicle.

"Spit it out, Zangetsu," Ichigo ordered. "I need that."

The horse whickered and tossed his head, but let the chewed map fall to the ground. Ichigo picked it up and wiped the horse saliva off the best he could with a piece of his dark coat and straighten the large paper the best he could without tearing it.

It was hard, and he had to work with a patience he did not have, but he managed to reopen it to the mainland of China. Ichigo looked around for any specific land marks he could recognize, trying to figure exactly where they were. He recognized the town nearest to them, so he guessed that they were somewhere nearby.

He jumped a little when Zangetsu bit his shoulder, seeming to agree with his line of thinking as though the horse could read the map as well. He even butted their heads together, as if also punishing him for missing that last stop.

"I know. I know. I should have listened to you that time," Ichigo told the horse, as he bit him in the shoulder again in agreement. "We're going to have to backtrack a little. Don't blame me though. With Dad, you can't really be sure what the right direction is. Damn bastard loves to play what he calls 'manly' games just to mess with my head."

Shaking his head, he went back to the carriage and got in the seat. He checked on Carus to make sure she was alright and strapped in tight, then sat back and flicked the reins for Zangetsu to go forward. The horse whickered in response and began a steady treat, going into a u-turn that will turn them back around.

A shiver went down his spine, a sense that told him that he was being watched.

"Shit," he muttered, and flicked the reins again for Zangetsu to go faster.

--

"Are you sure? It's not some freak disease? Are you sure you have no medicine to stop this?" the auburn haired girl demanded, her voice high with rising hysteria, to the older man, grasping his bony shoulders in a tight grip.

The doctor sighed, looking at the pretty girl with pity. "The only thing I can do on any self-inflicted wounds is to spread some herbal salve to prevent infection. Perhaps I can recommend you to a therapist, my dear, but I simply cannot help you if you will not help yourself."

"But I told you! I didn't do this to myself!" she insisted, tears welling up in her eyes as her composure began to break down. "I had a strange dream last night and I woke up to such extreme pain that lost my sight for a few moments. When I could finally see, I realized that I was bleeding and suddenly, I had these!" Again, she showed him the side cross lacerations over the veins of each of her thin wrists.

It was such a strange wound, a through-and-through puncture that extended to the other side, like if something sharp had been stabbed through her wrist with a small and thin weapon. The Gypsy girl was lucky to still have the use of her hands with the minimal pain she spoke off.

Nothing short of a cruel miracle, really.

"I am terribly sorry, Miss Orihime," he said once more. "Again, I can dress the wounds with salve and bind them for you and I can give you some medication for the pain. But I can do no more. Allow for it to heal naturally and go see this therapist. He is very well recommended and he is very lenient to the poor."

"I-I see," the girl said. "Thank you, Doctor Walsh. I… I shall pay you within the week, when I get my earnings. I promise." She said these words with a hollow tone. Her large gray eyes were shining with tears and frustration.

His old heart felt for her, for she was the sister of a dear old friend. "If I may be bold to suggest, Miss Orihime," he began. "Perhaps the life of a Gypsy has been too cruel for you. You have had to work ever since your house fell and the strain has begun to show on your visage. Perhaps, if you return and beg your case with his Lordship-"

"NO!"

Orihime covered her mouth, looking very apologetic for suddenly screaming. She lowered her aching hands. "N… no," she repeated shaking. "I'll be alright. It was probably just a horrible accident and my mind must have suppressed it. I must have fallen off the bed in my sleep or sleep-walked and hurt myself then." She made ridiculous excuses and they both knew it. "Please… Give me the medicine, Doctor Walsh. I need to get back to my work. I will pay you within the week."

Doctor Walsh sighed, wanting to protest and make his case heard. Orihime was of a fallen house, yes, but she was still nobility. She did not need to work as a Gypsy dancer, showing herself off in a colorful, improper way just to get her next meal.

Instead, he did as the patient ask, dressing her wounded wrists with salve and bandages. 'I hope you know what you are doing, Miss Orihime," he said with concern, watch her leave.

Orihime stopped at the door to give a small wave goodbye before walking out the door.

"I hope I do, too," she admitted to herself and left the doctor's house.

--

"Oh you have to be fucking kidding me!!"

Ichigo's curse echoed throughout the valley. Too late did he realize his mistake as Carus stirred and began to wail with fear and her sudden awaking.

"No, no, sweetie. Don't cry!" Picking up his child out of the basket, he held her close and began to shake her, soothing her distress. "It's alright. It's alright. It's alright," Ichigo repeated, rubbing her soft bed of hair as she cried into his shoulder, her tiny fists grabbing onto his clothes.

His brown eyes met the dark ones of his horse, who somehow managed a very human 'I-told-you-so' kind of look.

"I know. Going out on a full canter on a farm road was a bad idea," he admitted, continuing to shake his daughter softly and soothingly, hoping that she went to sleep again so he can try to fix their current situation.

Going at full canter had been a dumb ass idea, especially when a turn caused them to swirl sharply on its side and for one of their wheels to snap off. He was lucky it had been on his side, for the impact had nearly thrown him out of the carriage.

Coming around the corner, Ichigo wanted to yell again. If the wheel had only come off, he might be able to twist it back on. But the wood connecting to the wheel had snapped almost completely off. He would need someone to repair it professional, for he was crap at carpentry.

"Damn," Ichigo swore softly and sat down on the dirt road, his baby finally quieting down.

He changed her from the spot on his shoulder to the crook of his arm. Carus tried to reach up to touch his face, twisting her body to get a reach. The tiny wings on her back flapped furiously, but they were too small to be of any kind of help.

Those wings made him frown, as Ichigo lowered his face so her hands whenever he looked at them. It was a bizarre occurrence. No one in his family has ever reported the birth of a winger child, no matter how much of the Nephilim blood they may have. Carus, it seemed, was the first to be ever born like this.

A miracle? A curse? Good omen or bad omen? Ichigo could not say. He only wanted his daughter to live a normal enough life where she didn't need to worry about such thing, that they shouldn't matter.

But that was wishful thinking. Pure acceptance didn't happen, even among normal societies.

"I wish I can show you a Utopia, so that you may never suffer," he told his child and she gurgled in response, playing with the long strands of orange hair that had grown shaggy in the past months.

He couldn't remember the last time he had his hair cut, since he had been saving every penny they had had for Senna's hospital expenses and things for the baby, most of which he had sold along with their house when he took his child on the run with him.

"Maybe it's time to go to Urahara's place," he said out loud. "He can help me locate my father and Yoruichi can chop off this annoying hair of mine. She'll have fun with that."

He smiled at the thought of his adoptive uncle and aunt. If anyone could help him, it was they.

Zangetsu had trotted off during his musings, having been previously released from his reins and bridle after the accident. He had gone to the side of the road, to snack on the tall rice stalks that grew there. Now, his head lifted and his eyes drew back with alarm.

"Shit!" Ichigo stood up and put his baby in the basket. "Let's go, Zangetsu! Come here, now!"

Whinnying, Zangetsu charged and ran where his master can get a hold of him, mounting him with the basket in his arms.

**Hurt my niece and I will kill you,** a subtle warning went through his mind, as loudly said as if the person was right there beside him, talking in his ear.

"The danger's that bad?" he asked, instead of contradicting that statement.

His other persona, the twin brother who called himself "Hichigo" will not listen to a single damn word he said. He was a crude, annoying, rude, malicious son of a bitch and someone Ichigo would gladly strangle if he ever could.

But despite this, Ichigo could not forget that Hichigo was useful. For one, he had saved Carus on that day, when Ichigo himself had been too broken and weak to even defend himself. And since he was evil himself, Hichigo could sense evil, which allowed Ichigo to know exactly what he was up against.

**I felt like this once, inside the hospital on that day. Do I need to remind you which one?**

Those words brought a chill that went down his spine. Ichigo held tight to the basket, unstrapping to saddle with his free hand and took the straps off as well. Then he used them as ropes to create a makeshift holding where he secured the basket to. Then he climbed onto Zangetsu's back, settling it between his highs while he continued to hold the basket with one arm.

"Let's go, Zangetsu!" With a harsh flick of the reins, he sent the black horse straight into a gallop. "So those monsters are back." Ichigo gritted his teeth, the image of bloated machines passing through his mind.

The attack had happed a few weeks after Ichigo departed from the town where he had been staying while Carus was being nursed by the nursemaid he had hired. He had thought a man needed help, when suddenly the body shifted and mutated into a gaping faced monster with its barrels of guns aimed right towards of him. Ichigo managed to escape, never learning what the hell it fucking was.

Hichigo had mentioned a similar experience back at the hospital, when the hospital had caved within his mind and allowed his demons to go free. Only he didn't mention what had happened or what he did to either fight or escape them.

Something came out of the stalks of the rice and startled Zangetsu, nearly making him rear with surprise. Ichigo held onto the basket, even when he nearly fell off the horse's back. Once the black horse settled, hands suddenly grabbed the coat tails and tugged, nearly making him loose his balance.

Ichigo managed to steady himself by grabbing onto Zangetsu's mane, much to the horse's discomfort that he tossed his head. Once he settled both him and the horse again, the orange haired man turned to what kept tugging him done.

"_Wŏ m__á__ng!" _A woman's voice begged him from underneath the cowl.

"What?" Ichigo came down from the saddle, carefully so that his leg won't hit her or anything. "What are you-?"

"HELP ME PLEASE!!!!" Suddenly, the woman clung to his side, crying furiously into his chest. "They… they are going to kill me! Please, help me!"

"_Heee heee heee heee heee heee heeee heeee heee heee heee hee heee!"_

Eerie laughter surrounded them, as the bad feeling of dread grew worse. Ichigo slowly turned his head, just as Carus began to wail.

It was hideous, the monstrous being that was seemingly floating in the air above them. The sky was dark and gloomy behind it, adding to the horror that was its existence. It looked like a malformed rabbit, wearing a jester's hat and a mad smile. It lingered there like a bad dream, grinning down at the humans below.

"_What do we have here? More humans to kill! Heeee heee heee!"_

"Crap!" Ichigo swore. The creature was much different than the bloated ones from before. It looked as though it actually had some semblance of a personality, which was frightening to believe. Even if it didn't have any visible weapons, he had no doubt that it was even more deadly than its dumber cousins.

"Help…!" The woman seemed to grow smaller in her fear, quivering beneath her cowl.

For a moment, he thought it was a trap. His opinion of humans hadn't really increased during the long months. He still felt a sore spot whenever he thought about that hideous doctor, the one who took his wife's life. But the woman hid behind him and showed no move to push him in front, to abandon him to this creature while she ran for her life. Most in her situation would take advantage of the new bait to flee.

The rabbit monster crept closer, and Zangetsu whinnied in terror and anger, not liking the sensation that this creature made him feel. On his back, Carus cried, feeling the negativity of the situation surround her.

"_Hmm?"_ The rabbit's eyes turned towards the baby, and they widened with recognition. _"The baby!"_ it screamed out. _"That's the baby the Lord Millennium wants! Heee heee heee heeee heee! What a great day! I get to kill humans and get the lord a present: the baby with the angel wings!"_

_What the hell-? What the fuck is it talking about?_ Ichigo thought, scowling as he watched it swing about in the air, in some kind of strange and disturbing dance of joy.

**You got me. This is the first time I'm hearing this,** Hichigo said. **Let me take over. I might be able to kill this fucker. **

Ichigo hesitated. That would seem the most logical, but he had this woman with him. He knew nothing about her, and he was afraid that she would attack Carus in fear. He could not risk that.

But he could not abandon either of them. It went against his nature. And he needed someone to take care of his baby while he fought this creature.

"Fuck it," Ichigo took his child from the basket and turned to the woman. "What's your name, woman?"

"N-Nel," she said, her gray eyes large and wide underneath the shadow of the cowl. "Nel Tu."

"Can I trust you to take care of my child?" he asked bluntly.

Nel looked down at the crying baby, with her exotic purple hair and flaying wings. Her eyes showed no response to them, not even finding them hideous or strange. In fact, Ichigo watched dumbly as she nodded and took the baby from him, holding her tight within her arms.

Shaking his stupor off, he cleared his throat and continued with his order. "Get on the horse and get the hell away from her. Use the road to get to the next town."

"But what about you?" Nel asked, looking frightened.

"I'll be there," Ichigo said with conviction. "I'm just going to buy us some time from this monster. And I will return for my baby girl."

He glanced down at her, as Carus quieted and started to sniffle instead, her fear still causing her distress. He did not want to leave her, not even to be separated. But he had no choice. He swore to Senna that their baby will live. And he planned to keep that promise.

"Get on the horse now! I-"

"_What do you think you're going to do?"_

Ichigo barely registered the pain in his side as the bullet pierced through. Everything gained a hollow tone; even Nel's scream sounded off key.

**You fucking idiot!** Hichigo yelled in his mind. **I told you to switch!**

_Wŏ m__á__ng! _– Help me in Chinese.


End file.
